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Ronald McDonald House I P O Box 635 I Mawson ACT 2607 I Level 2, Centenary Hospital for Women & Children I Garran Canberra I ACT I 205 T: (02) 6281 5894 F: (02) 6281 7093 I email I http://www.rmhc.org.au/canberra-act IN THIS ISSUE A Message from the House Room Partnerships Elect Printing Natalies Story Upcoming Opportunities Meals From the Heart Volunteering A Volunteers Story – Cheryl 1 st Birthday Photos Our Family Photos Our Partners

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A MESSAGE FROM THE HOUSE Dear friends and supporters of Ronald McDonald House Canberra, This is our 2 nd edition of the House newsletter - we hope you enjoyed the first one. This is where we celebrate together, acknowledging the wonderful achievements of our businesses and community partners. It also is a way in which we can share what happens across all of our programs, highlighting the purpose of Ronald McDonald House Canberra. It is not a nice service to provide, but families need somewhere safe to sleep, to feel supported when they are away from their own home. Lets face it, families do not choose to book into a Ronald McDonald House; they come because of their seriously ill child. In 12 months we have provided rooms for over 255 families. This is possible because we have our local community behind us. This has been evident many times over whenever we come and seek your support. Our sincere thanks to you all. We estimate that we need to fundraise over $450,000 next year as we know the demand will grow. A huge task for a few…yet with all of us combined…we do have strength in numbers. Our current campaign makes it so simple with two options to reach our goal. Become a Room Partner or Adopt a Room and then many can provide so much. I urge you to take a minute to pause and think of the families who cannot be at home this year for Christmas and the many Christmas to come. On behalf of all the families, volunteers, staff and Board of Ronald McDonald House Canberra, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Happy reading The Team Ronald McDonald House Canberra

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ROOM PARTNERSHIPS At Ronald McDonald House Canberra, we rely on our corporate partners to help us help the families of seriously ill children. Entering into a Room Partnership will not only benefit your business, but it will also help us to provide a warm and welcoming environment for many families. There are three options for Room Partnerships: - Gold Room Partners - Silver Room Partners - Bronze Room Partners As part of your Room Partnership, you receive a Key Room Sponsorship Signage on your family bedroom so all families and visitors will recognise the generosity of your company. A coloured blossom with your company name will also be placed on our Tree of Life located at reception of the Canberra House, recognising your contribution in a highly visible way. Become a Room Partner today and help us help the families of seriously ill children. For more information or to organise a visit to our House, please contact the Relationship Development Manager Narelle Casey on 02 62815894 or at ncasey@rmhcanberra.com.au. ncasey@rmhcanberra.com.au Did you know it costs Ronald McDonald House Canberra $132 a night to provide a family somewhere to sleep and eat, more importantly provide a home away from home. $48,180 per room per year

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ELECT PRINTING GOLD ROOM PARTNER Elect Printing is our Gold Key Partner of Room 5 and is recognized as a major partner of Ronald McDonald House Canberra. Elect Printing prides itself in providing high quality printing services, great value for money and offering practical advice. Elect Printing is a big supporter of Ronald McDonald House Canberra: not only is it a Gold Key Partner, the company also takes care of all the printing at Ronald McDonald House Canberra, including for the RMHC Audi Gala Ball. We have been supporting Ronald McDonald House Canberra with all their printing requirements since late 2011, even before the House opened, Darren, co-owner of Elect Printing, says. We wanted to help families of seriously ill children so this is a great opportunity to give back to the community. Elect Printing operates out of its Fyshwick office and has been serving the Canberra community for over 22 years. The companys focus is on quality and exceeding client expectations. Our work on behalf of children and their families depends on the commitment of our generous donors, corporate organisations and the community at large. Ronald McDonald House Canberra relies heavily on printing in its day-to-day operations, as well as for organised events. A big thank you to Elect Printing for your ongoing support. For more information or to participate in our Room Partnership Program please contact Narelle Casey on 02 6281 5894 or at ncasey@rmhcanberra.com.au.ncasey@rmhcanberra.com.au Darren and John from Elect Printing with their wives, Donna and Helen.

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NATALIES STORY NATALIE FOUND A SAFE HAVEN AT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CANBERRA In mid-2013, Natalies pregnancy was going smoothly. As a young couple expecting their first child, it was a time of excitement for her and her partner, Clinton. However, one day in late July, Natalie started having pains and was rushed to Canberra Hospital. After managing to stop an early labour, the doctors sent her home to Harden, a small town in NSW. The pains returned though and, this time, an early labour could not be prevented. Natalie gave birth to Lucie 8 weeks premature. Two days later, Natalie checked in at Ronald McDonald House Canberra while her newborn daughter gained strength in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Despite the circumstances that brought her to the House, Natalie describes her three week long stay as amazing, stating that I absolutely loved it. It was always clean and tidy, and it made everything so easy. I was able to walk down a few corridors to NICU to visit Lucie whenever I wanted. One of the best aspects is the supportive atmosphere, Natalie explains. After talking with other families, we all realised that we shared similar stories, experiences and fears. I forged many good friendships. Natalie and Clinton have praised the staffs efforts to make them feel at home. Thank you so much for providing such a wonderful place to stay while we were going through a difficult time. I would not have been able to cope without your help and support.

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UPCOMING OPPORTUNITES CORPORATE VOLUNTEERING We would like to invite your team into Ronald McDonald House Canberra to help make it a home. The up-keep of the House is extremely important. When families come to stay with us we want to make sure they have a clean and comfortable space. Their focus is on their child. The Corporate Volunteering program invites a small group of employees to come in and be apart of the day to day operations of a Ronald McDonald House. You will be helping with the spring clean of the House and tackling jobs that are not regular by our weekly volunteers. While many hands make light work this program only has a limited availability. The next upcoming dates to participate in our Corporate Volunteering are: - Wednesday 18 th December 2013 - Wednesday 26 th February 2014 - Wednesday 28 th May 2014 - Wednesday 27 th August 2014 - Wednesday 26 th November 2014 Peter Blackshaw Corporate If you are interested in our Corporate Volunteering program please contact The House Manager Marnie Murrell on (02) 6281 5894 or at mmurrell@rmhcanberra.com.au

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MEALS FROM THE HEART Come in to Ronald McDonald House Canberra and participate in our MEALS FROM THE HEART an opportunity to host and prepare a meal at our home away from home for families of seriously ill children. This is a much appreciated service to families who are supporting their sick children and who often dont have the time, funds or energy to prepare a healthy, home-cooked meal. Meals from the Heart is a great opportunity for your work place, business or group to contribute and make a real difference to the families of Ronald McDonald House Canberra Canberra. We try to build a community culture and a volunteer culture within our workforce. RMH Canberra is a perfect vehicle for that – Brian, Department of Social Services Meals from the Heart was a way to help out other than directly donating money. It gets the staff involved at ground level and they love participating – Karen, LJ Hooker Demand and request from corporate Australia for volunteering opportunities at Ronald McDonald House is extremely high. As such we need to hold these limited corporate volunteering opportunities for organisations that are also supporting us financially. For more information or to organise a Meals from the Heart night please contact the House Manager Marnie Murrell on (02) 6281 5894 or at mmurrell@rmhcanberra.com.au.mmurrell@rmhcanberra.com.au DFK Everallsiinet

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THANK YOU PREVIOUS MEALS FROM THE HEART 20 SEPTEMBER Department of Social Services 25 SEPTEMBER Rugby Union Club 25 OCTOBER Department of Social Services 30 OCTOBER Peter Blackshaw Corporate 12 NOVEMBER Iinet 6 & 20 NOVEMBER Molonglo Community Bank 22 NOVEMBER Department of Social Services 26 NOVEMBER 2CC Radio 27 NOVEMBER LJ Hooker One of our board members, Hani Sidaros (far left), with his McDonalds team. UPCOMING MEALS FROM THE HEART 10 DECEMBER Rugby Union Club 10 DECEMBER The Canberra Times 13 & 20 DECEMBER Department of Social Services iinet

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VOLUNTEERING AT RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE SEEKING NEW HEARTS Ronald McDonald House Canberra relies heavily on the generosity of Volunteers to keep the big red doors open to the families of seriously ill babies & children. There are so many ways you can help us. BECOME A VOLUNTEER TODAY APPLICATIONS ONLINE AT: WWW.RMHC.ORG.AU/VOLUNTEERS-3 WWW.RMHC.ORG.AU/VOLUNTEERS-3 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT CAROLINE MCINTYRE on (02) 6281 5894 or at cmcintyre@rmhcanberra.com.au VOLUNTEERS ARE THE HEART OF OUR HOUSE The best part about volunteering at RMH Canberra is seeing families smile. That was my goal in coming here – to make someone happy. To make them feel at home so they dont miss theirs as much - Belinda

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A VOLUNTEERS STORY CHERYL The day-to-day functioning of Ronald McDonald House Canberra would not be possible without the dedication and support of our 108 volunteers. Cheryl first heard about volunteer work at Ronald McDonald House Canberra through a friend who recommended it to her. I decided to give it a try and convinced one of my friends to join me, Cheryl recalls, We have been coming in to lend a hand ever since. Cheryl has been volunteering as a cleaner once a week since February this year. For some people, that might sound like a boring task, but the House acts as a home for the families staying here – it needs to be kept neat and tidy. Plus, I love what Im doing here and it suits me. For Cheryl, one of the best aspects of volunteering is that it allows her to interact with other people. Meeting new people - volunteers, staff or families - makes the work even more enjoyable. When you can directly see the difference you are making and how much Ronald McDonald House Canberra benefits from a few hours of your time, its a great feeling. Cheryl (far right) with volunteers Kaity, Jenny and Mavis under the Hearts of the House. I think Ronald McDonald House Canberra is terrifically organised. Theres a roster, everyone has a specific task, knows how and when to do it. Not to mention the staff are brilliant. Theyre always very supportive and attentive. Finishing a shift leaves me a with a great sense of accomplishment.

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RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CANBERRA CELEBRATES ITS FIRST BIRTHDAY! TO CELEBRATE OUR FIRST YEAR OF OPERATION, WE HOSTED AN IN-HOUSE PARTY FOR OUR FAMILIES, VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF ON 16 OCTOBER.

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RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CANBERRA CELEBRATES ITS FIRST BIRTHDAY! WE ALSO HOSTED AN EVENT AT THE NATIONAL ZOO AND AQUARIUM TO SAY THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE PARTNERS. WITH YOUR SUPPORT AND GENEROSITY, WE ARE ABLE TO HELP SERIOUSLY ILL CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES.

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OUR FAMILIES OUR FAMILY PHOTOS Just a few of the wonderful people who have stayed at Ronald McDonald House Canberra, including our 200 th family! If you cant be at home, Ronald McDonald House is the next best place to be.